Despite living by the sea, it’s estimated that half of school-age children on the stunning Pembrokeshire coast never actually swim in the sea.

Although a child might paddle or dip a bucket in the shallows, only 50% will go further and explore the wonders of the ocean.

So Coastlands Community Primary School, Haverfordwest, in Pembrokeshire is tackling this with their adventurous Snorkel Safaris.

With the help of volunteers from the local dive school and marine conservation groups, pupils at the school enjoy learning about the sea by pulling on a wetsuit, snorkel and mask, and taking the plunge into the water.

The safaris are held at St Bride’s Haven on the Pembrokeshire Coast, a sandy cove with shallow waters, where children can literally come face-to-face with marine wildlife, from seaweed to spider crabs.

Pupils get to grips with spider crabs (Image: WWF Cymru)

For a joyful two-hour session, children are divided into ability groups and given a thorough tour of the marine environment.

Kate Lock, from the Skomer Marine Conservation Zone, said: “Although the school is on the coast, many children don’t explore far into the water.

“It’s a great opportunity for many to wear a mask and snorkel for the first time and give it a try, with the help of trained instructors.”

She said the Snorkel Safaris are a wonderful way to introduce marine life to children and they are part of Coastlands Community Primary School’s wider commitment to putting the environment at the heart of school life.

'We’re really proud of our green credentials’

Earlier this summer the school scooped an award at the WWF-UK Green Ambassadors School Awards for their green initiatives. The school fought off competition from over 100 schools across the UK and was the only Welsh school among the three shortlisted schools to attend the Awards Ceremony at the WWF Living Planet Centre in Woking, Surrey. They received the runner-up prize of £2,500 that they can spend on green initiatives in their school.

“We believe in including the whole school ‘community’ as much as possible with our eco and sustainable school projects, from our snorkel safaris to our vegetable plot and even our community woodland area. Many of the projects have been linked to home and the community, which has helped them be established as themes adopted to all life – not just life in the school.

“Winning a WWF award means that all the hard work the children, teachers, parents and governors put into all our green projects has been recognised and that’s a great feeling for all concerned.

“The money we will receive will go toward building and establishing our outdoor classroom.”

The fab four: Coastlands Primary School pupils on their Snorkel Safari enjoy getting in their wetsuits and into the waves (Image: Martin Cavanay)

The WWF Green Ambassador Awards scheme aims to encourage a new generation to become sustainability champions. The scheme inspires primary school children (aged from five-years-old to 11) to become active in making their school greener by looking at issues such as reducing energy, growing their own food, encouraging wildlife and reducing waste.

Coastlands CP School was awarded the highly-commended title for their impressive array of eco-projects, which included a 10-week travel challenge, where children were given travel diaries and targets to audit how far they travelled each week without an engine.

The project meant lots of families ditched the car and opted for ‘eco travel’ instead.

Other projects included the construction of an outdoor classroom in Sheila’s Peace, a small community woodland close to the school.

The school is also involved in community litter picks

Along with community residents and the National Park Ranger, the pupils worked to build a log sitting circle to allow the woods to be used as an outdoor classroom.

The school is also involved in community litter picks and grows fruit and vegetables in the school gardens.

A spokesman for WWF Cymru said: “All this – and the snorkel safaris – mean that the eco projects worked on by the school have a feel-good factor for the wider community, too.

“Making the children aware of how they can grow their own food, manage waste or conserve energy gets them talking and thinking about respecting the environment, spreading the message further afield.

“Their efforts fit hand-in-glove with Wales, having passed the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act earlier this year, as it’s just the type of activity that helps engage young people in making Wales a sustainable nation.”

Anne Meikle, head of WWF Cymru said: “We applaud Coastlands Community Primary School for their dedication to green issues.

“They have worked hard on projects that benefit not just the school itself but the wider community.

“They’re a leading light in Wales and we hope that other schools will follow their brilliant example and incorporate green issues into their curriculum in a fun and accessible way.”

Orca whales are quite often seen off the coast of Pembrokeshire

Children and families who do venture to the Welsh coast have the chance to see a plethora of wonderful wildlife.

Orca whales are quite often seen off the coast of Pembrokeshire and last month they were spotted in Cardigan Bay, too.

The whales range from as far away as Norway, Shetland, the Hebrides and the west coast of Ireland and as far as the Canaries.

They come to Wales hunting big shoals of mackerel and herring.

Other extraordinary creatures who return every year to Pembrokeshire’s shores include “gentle giants” basking sharks, small blue sharks, sunfish, various jellyfish, turtles and Risso’s dolphins.

Birds such as choughs, skylarks and the stonechat choose the coastal heathland to make their home. Meanwhile, bats and many bird species hunt along the lines of twisting hedgerows, rich with wild flowers, while cute Atlantic grey seals give birth on the county’s shores, and dolphins and porpoises play in the waves. And, underwater, there are lots of formations: boulders, pinnacles, kelp and sand dunes with scallops.